RUTHFULLY YOURS

https://www.jns.org/opinion/700-reasons-not-to-create-a-palestinian-state/

Gaza has become the most graphic illustration of why relinquishing Judea and Samaria to the perennially hostile and extremely corrupt Palestinian Authority is a fantastically dangerous idea.

The nearly 700 rockets fired at Israel by terrorists from Gaza by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in early May were not just another round of the same mini-wars between Israel and Hamas to which the world has become accustomed to. Coming just as U.S. President Donald Trump’s “deal of the century” for Arab-Israeli peace is reportedly weeks from being launched, the rockets offer 700 vivid demonstrations of why a Palestinian state must not be created.

The international community for years badgered Israel to leave the Gaza Strip. Israelis were told that if only the occupation ended, then Gazans would embrace peace. That the presence of Israeli soldiers and Jewish communities in Gaza were the obstacles to peace. That once Israel withdrew, the Gaza Palestinians would no longer have a reason to attack Israel. And that “if even a single missile were fired into Israel from Gaza,” the Israeli army would be justified in reoccupying the area.

https://www.jns.org/opinion/a-particularly-happy-anniversary/

One year ago, U.S. President Donald Trump, the new sheriff in town, conveyed a loud and clear message that a seismic shift had hit the Middle East. Enemies of freedom and democracy be damned.

One year ago today, on May 14, 2018, the United States officially transferred its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Although the move could be viewed as merely the fulfillment of the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995, which also recognized Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel, it was received by supporters and opponents alike with amazement.

In the first place, three previous administrations—those of U.S. Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama—had opted to invoke and repeatedly renew the law’s six-month waiver of application on “national security” grounds.

In June 2017, a few months after he assumed office, U.S. President Donald Trump also signed a six-month waiver, which he renewed after recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in December. In February 2018, however, he announced that the embassy, finally, would be moved.

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/14223/western-wall-note

I urge all visitors to join me in a conspiracy to violate the UN Security Council Resolution…Obama, himself, engineered the Resolution. He pushed it through the Security Council despite some reservations by other members, including Egypt, which believed that the Resolution itself could become a barrier to a negotiated two-state solution. After all, if Israel’s control over Judaism’s holiest site is deemed illegal, then Israel would have to negotiate its legality with the Palestinians.

These Jewish areas were illegally occupied by Jordan between 1948 and 1967 and lawfully recaptured by Israel in a defensive war, started by Jordan when it fired mortars at civilian targets inside pre-1967 Israel…. Yet there were no United Nations Resolutions, campus protests or other organized shows of opposition by the international community. Only after Israel liberated these historically Jewish areas, did the world, and Obama, decide — in violation of international law — that they were illegally occupied.

Declaring the Western Wall to be illegally occupied territory is akin to declaring the Vatican, Mecca or other religious, holy sites to be occupied by those who pray at them. The Western Wall is lawfully part of the nation state of the Jewish people. It will remain so as long as Israel exists. If there is to be any hope of peace between Israel and the Palestinians, the world must recognize that historic, moral and legal reality.

Last week, in Israel, I committed a flagrant violation of international law. This “war crime” consisted of placing a note asking for “peace, salaam, shalom” in the Western Wall, Judaism’s holiest site. The reason the note requesting peace constituted “a flagrant violation of international law” and a “war crime” is that the United Nations Security Council, in a Resolution adopted in December 2016, declared that all areas captured by Israel during the 1967 War are illegally occupied territories. That includes the Western Wall, the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem and the access roads on Mount Scopus to the Hebrew University and Hadassah Hospital.

Former US President Barack Obama demanded that his permanent representative to the United Nations not veto this one-sided, wrong-headed, ahistorical, bigoted, and anti-peace Resolution. Obama changed American policy by allowing such a resolution to be enacted by the Security Council as revenge on Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who, quite correctly, opposed the very bad deal Obama made with Iran enabling it to develop nuclear weapons.

https://besacenter.org/perspectives-papers/barring-eurovision-jerusalem-win-for-bds/

The €28.5 million Eurovision Song Contest, which draws 200 million viewers from 42 countries, might seem to be just a huge pop spectacle, but it is a good deal more. In addition to serving as an entertainment vehicle, it is a powerful mechanism of soft power – a tool that is critically important to the modern State of Israel and particularly to the city of Jerusalem. Europe’s refusal to allow the contest to be held in Jerusalem, in contravention of Eurovision’s own rules, constitutes a victory for the BDS movement.

The refusal of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to allow the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest to take place in Jerusalem shone a light on the gap that remains between Israel and Europe despite their natural affinity.

Following President Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital city, the EU has led global opposition to Israel’s sovereignty. Israel is an associated state of the EU, yet its capital – alone among the capitals of all other countries – has never been acknowledged by Europe or, indeed, by most of the world’s states. The 2019 Eurovision Song Contest, which will take place in Israel this weekend, is thus underpinned with years of tension and suspicion.

Despite the fact that Israel has won the contest four times and hosted the competition in Jerusalem twice (in 1979 and 1999), Europe decided that this year it would not tolerate Jerusalem’s hosting of the contest. Israel won Eurovision last year, and according to the event’s protocol, the capital city of the winning country hosts the contest the following year. No matter: Israel’s claim to host the contest in Jerusalem, which would have been in accordance with the contest’s own rules, was rejected.

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/14208/palestinian-leaders-punish-patients

“By Allah, even if we have only a penny left it will be spent on the families of the martyrs and prisoners, and only afterwards will it be spent on the rest of the people.” — Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian Media Watch, July 24, 2018.

Evidently, the “rest of the people” includes not only the Palestinian Authority (PA) employees, but also Palestinian patients who are in need of medical treatment. Abbas has now decided to punish these patients by depriving them of medical treatment in Israel.

The PA decision to stop patients from receiving medical treatment in Israel does not apply to senior Palestinian officials.

The Palestinian Authority (PA) has decided that Palestinians will no longer be able to receive medical treatment in Israel. Last March, the PA Ministry of Health in the West Bank city of Ramallah, the de facto capital of the Palestinians, announced that it was halting medical transfers to Israeli hospitals and promised to find alternatives for Palestinian patients in private and government hospitals.

The PA says that it took the decision in response to the Israeli government’s deduction of payments the Palestinian government makes to families of security prisoners and “martyrs” from tax revenues the Israelis collect on behalf of the Palestinians.

A new Israeli law allows the government to impose financial sanctions on the PA for its “Pay for Slay” policy, which encourages terrorists to carry out attacks against Israelis because they know they and their families will be receiving salaries (from the PA government) for the rest of their lives.

www.verygoodnewsisrael.blogspot.com 

Israel is always under attack….Sometimes it is rockets lobbed from Gaza into schools and homes, sometimes it is arson, sometimes it is murder of civilians,…..but it is always under attack by the hypocritical and morally stunted boycott and divest groupies. In spite of this, there is no other nation in the world that has made and continues to make such outsize contributions to the health and welfare of the entire world. Israel is indeed “a light unto the nations” even to those that are a “blight unto the nations.” My friend Michael Ordman contributes these headlines every week. Bless him!….rsk

ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS

Treatment pathway for fatal epilepsy. (TY Nevet) Dravet syndrome is an epileptic condition with a 15 to 20 percent mortality rate and resistant to current medications. Tel Aviv University researchers have discovered that the DHODH gene is key to triggering such adverse neural activity and that Terflunomide can inhibit it.
https://www.jns.org/israeli-scientists-discover-potential-new-epilepsy-treatment/

Treatment hope for Williams Syndrome. (TY Josie) Tel Aviv University scientists have linked gene Gtf2i to Williams Syndrome (WS) and the thinning of the myelin layer that protects neurons in the brain. In lab tests they managed to reverse some WS symptoms using the FDA-approved antihistamine clemastine fumarate.
https://socsci3.tau.ac.il/boazbarak/research/
http://news.mit.edu/2019/neuroscientists-reverse-symptoms-williams-syndrome-0422

Micro pancreas for diabetics. I reported previously (Dec 2015) on Israel’s Betalin Therapeutics, which has developed an insulin-producing micro pancreas that can be implanted into the body of diabetics. Betalin has since won startup awards in Tel Aviv and China and has just raised funds to help start human trials this year.
https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-diabetes-treatment-co-betalin-therapeutics-raises-25m-1001283394
http://www.betalintherapeutics.com/most-promising%20startup-in-Israel.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpnYAW490NA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dM9AtvczFMk

US approval for opioid overdose spray. The US FDA has approved the generic naloxone hydrochloride nasal spray developed by Israel’s Teva. Commonly known as Narcan, the medication can stop or reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. The emergency treatment can be administered even by those without medical training.
http://nocamels.com/2019/04/fda-approval-teva-generic-nasal-spray-opioid-overdose/

FDA prioritizes Alzheimer’s therapy device. (TY Atid-EDI) I reported previously (see here) on the NeuroAD cranial device from Israel’s Neuronix. It already has European approval and is now being urgently reviewed in the FDA’s Expedited Access Pathway program for breakthrough devices that target vital unmet needs.
https://www.medpagetoday.com/neurology/alzheimersdisease/78739

Successful blood test trial. I reported previously (see here) on Israel’s Sight Diagnostics’ device that can perform full blood tests using just a few drops of blood. Sight Diagnostics has just completed a successful trial which should help it obtain US FDA approval. The device is already marketed in Europe and Israel.
https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-sight-diagnostics-successful-in-clinical-trial-1001281957

Pumpkin seed extract treatment for BHP. A recent study of Go-Less® Men (EFLA®940 – an extract from pumpkin seeds) to be effective in the treatment of symptoms of BHP (Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia). Go-Less is marketed by Israel-founded Frutarom. A previous study showed Go-Less to relieve incontinence in women.
https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/jmf.2018.0106
https://www.frutaromhealth.com/clinical-study-shows-high-effectiveness-of-go-less/ https://www.go-less.com/

MDA ambulance number 12. I reported previously (2nd Sep) when retired surgeon Norman Rosenbaum was awarded by UK PM Theresa May for helping to buy 11 ambulances for Israeli emergency service Magen David Adom. Norman has just fundraised his 12th ambulance for MDA who awarded him Humanitarian of the Year.
https://jewishnews.timesofisrael.com/community-hero-who-raised-funds-for-12-ambulances-honoured-by-mda/

Weizmann Institute battles to conquer cancer. At Israel’s Weizmann Institute there are over 60 research groups focusing on beating cancer and over 40% of the Institute’s life sciences research is cancer-related.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KegBnx3WNVo

Helping surgeons prepare. US-Israeli startup Theator uses computer vision and machine learning algorithms to help surgeons prepare for procedures by reviewing previous cases. Its Minute system edits videos of surgical procedures to highlight the key steps and “outcome-critical” components to reduce medical errors.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3760803,00.html https://www.theator.io/how-it-works

How ultrasound treats tremor. (TY Nevet) This article gives an excellent description of the process used by Israel’s Insightec to treat the symptoms of Parkinson’s and Essential Tremor patients. The technology is being used in over 50 medical centers around the world and has treated over 2,000 neuro-patients.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-startup-uses-ultrasound-waves-to-reduce-parkinsons-tremors/

ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL

Advice to female entrepreneurs. I reported previously (16th Feb) on the wound care system from Israel’s Nanomedic Technologies. Nanomedic CEO and mother of three, Chen Barak, advises female entrepreneurs to get support from their family and not to give up or compromise on their career.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/dont-compromise-do-what-you-love-nanomedic-ceo-tells-female-entrepreneurs/

Number of Israeli-Arab hi-tech students doubles. The number of Arab Israelis studying high-tech subjects at Israeli universities and colleges has doubled in six years. In 2018, 3,778 Arab students (12% of Israeli students) were studying high-tech subjects for BA degrees.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/number-of-arab-israelis-studying-high-tech-doubles-since-2012/

Israeli-Druze doctor honored on Independence Day. Ziv Medical Center’s Dr. Salman Zarka was head of “Operation Good Neighbor” in which, for six years, Israel provided critical care to thousands of Syrian victims of its civil war. Dr. Zarka was given the honor of lighting a torch on Israel’s Independence Day (see below).
https://unitedwithisrael.org/watch-israeli-doctor-honored-for-saving-thousands-of-syrian-lives/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIp0062jlPk

Finland is a hi-tech partner. (TY UWI) The Israel-Finland Pilot Program has been launched by the Israel Innovation Authority and the Helsinki Business Hub. It will help Israeli and Helsinki-area companies to co-develop technologies, products and services including digital health, smart mobility and communications.
https://www.israel21c.org/israel-and-finland-launch-digital-health-collaboration/

500 multinationals in the Startup Nation. “The State of Innovation,” published by Start-Up Nation Central (SNC) and PwC Israel, reports that over 500 multinational corporations from some 35 countries are active in Israel. It says they seek the ideas and the entrepreneurial culture emanating from Israel’s 6,000 plus startups.
http://nocamels.com/2019/04/500-global-corporations-35-countries-in-israel/
https://lp.startupnationcentral.org/mnc2019/

London Uni students see Israeli tech up close. 52 students from 30 countries (including Saudi Arabia and Sudan) studying at Imperial College London, had an eye-opening tour of tech sites in Israel. These included Mobileye, IBM, Barclays Techstar, OurCrowd and the Technion and Weizmann Institutes.
https://www.israel21c.org/israel-tech-trip-attracts-52-students-from-30-countries/

Israeli and UAE jets exercise together. The Israel Air Force, along with pilots from the United Arab Emirates, United States, Greece, Italy and Cyprus took part of Iniohos 2019 – Greece’s largest military exercise.
https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Israel-Air-Force-in-Greece-as-part-of-Iniohos-2019-585993

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

New record for renewable energy production. On 23rd April, the Israeli Electric Company broke its 13th Feb all-time-record (reported here) for energy produced from renewable resources. The production capacity was 1,326 megawatts, accounting for 19.3% of IEC’s total energy production. https://www.jpost.com/HEALTH-SCIENCE/Electric-company-produces-record-amount-of-green-energy-587695

Israel is 2nd most scientific. (TY Nevet & WIN) Israel is the second most scientific / innovative nation in the world, in a report compiled by engineering firm RS Components and published in the U.K.’s Daily Mail. Israel is ranked after the U.S. and ahead of South Korea. R&D spending and researchers per capita were key factors.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-6787391/The-scientific-powerhouse-capitals-world.html
https://uk.rs-online.com/web/generalDisplay.html?id=did-you-know%2Fmost-scientific-countries-in-the-world

Celebrating Israel’s hi-tech achievements. The IVC (Israel Venture Capital) Research Center (founded in 1997) celebrated Israel’s 71st Independence Day by summarizing Israel’s current high-tech industry’s status and its achievements since IVC’s foundation in 1997.
https://www.ivc-online.com/Portals/0/RC/POSTS/Israel’s%2071st%20independence%20day%20post.pdf

Intel’s 9th generation processors designed in Israel. Sired from its Haifa team, Intel has launched the 9th Gen Intel Core – its “most powerful generation” of mobile processors for laptops. It is for powering games and heavy workloads like video editing and will be in new Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo and MSI laptops.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/intel-launches-its-most-powerful-laptop-processors-sired-by-haifa-team/

A “pop-up”, foldable playground. Israel’s POPIN Playgrounds has developed a foldable in-home playground that enables large play structures to pop-up for playtime and take up minimal space when not in use. The car, kitchen, playhouse and pirate ship table are made of strong, eco-friendly materials and are easily transported.
http://nocamels.com/2019/04/child-play-israeli-startup-foldable-home-playground-toys/
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/popinplaygrounds/popintm-indoor-pop-up-playgrounds
https://www.popintoys.com/

Security for a connected world. Our environment is increasingly reliant on embedded devices and the Internet of Things (IoT). These are highly vulnerable and at risk of a future massive attack. Israel’s VDOO Connected Trust has developed security automation for embedded devices and has just raised $32 million of funds.
http://nocamels.com/2019/04/vdoo-raises-32m-to-revolutionize-security-for-embedded-devices-and-iot/

Making sense of the documentation. Israel’s Amenity Analytics uses natural language processing to rapidly process complex text documents into actionable insights. Amenity’s technology analyzes texts ranging from regulatory filings and earnings transcripts to social media content. Amenity has just raised $18 million of funds.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3760475,00.html https://www.amenityanalytics.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HUUre0V2VM

Giving self-awareness to drones. Israel’s Sightec has developed an artificial intelligence and computer vision-based spatial navigation system for fully or partially autonomous aerial vehicles. The system allows the vehicle to analyze its surroundings without depending on exterior communication, including cellular networks or GPS.
https://www.sightec.com/technology/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHX5XWR5GSI

RAF deploys Israeli emergency beacon. The Emergency Personal Locator Beacon (EPLB) from Israel’s Elbit has begun operations for the UK’s Royal Air Force. The EPLB is attached to the pilot’s life jacket and emits two types of alerts if the pilot ejects or crashes. The all-weather device operates even if the pilot is unconscious.
https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/emergency-locator-beacon-enters-service-with-the-royal-air-force/

Cultivating the desert truffle. Scientists from Israel’s Ben Gurion University have developed a successful method for cultivating the sought-after desert truffle (Terfezia Leonis fungus). They discovered the symbiotic relationship between the truffle and its host plant and are now producing up to 150kg per hectare.
https://nocamels.com/2019/04/rare-israel-cultivate-desert-truffles-worth-more-than-uranium/
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3733326,00.html

ECONOMY & BUSINESS

Economy still improving. The Bank of Israel’s Composite State of the Economy Index for March increased by nearly 0.3 percent. Highlights were Goods exports, Goods imports and Industrial production.
https://www.boi.org.il/en/NewsAndPublications/PressReleases/Pages/30-4-19.aspx

Massive hi-tech investment. Israeli startups raised a huge total of $1.55 billion during the first quarter of 2019. It represents a 28% increase on the first quarter of 2018. The strongest sectors were software and life sciences.
https://worldisraelnews.com/israeli-hi-tech-investments-1-55-billion-in-first-quarter-of-2019/

Europe offers favorable credit to Israeli firms. The European Investment Bank, as part of Horizon 2020, is offering credit enhancement services and financing under favorable terms to Israel companies. The agreement was initiated by Israel’s Peninsula Growth Fund to assist medium-sized Israeli companies.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3760834,00.html

New record for currency deposits. Israel’s reserves of foreign currency increased by half a billion dollars during April to another new record of $118.7 billion. https://www.boi.org.il/en/NewsAndPublications/PressReleases/Pages/7-05-19.aspx

Promoting startups in rural Israel. The Israel Innovation Authority has allocated $50 million for setting up innovation incubators to encourage local entrepreneurship in Israel’s rural areas. The incubators in Israel’s periphery will provide workspace, support from academic institutes, mentors and links to investors and clients.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3760694,00.html

Trawling for maritime startups. I reported previously (24th July) on Israel-based maritime startup accelerator TheDock Innovation Hub which offers startups funds, offices, mentors and networking with partner companies. TheDock has added Singapore-based port operator PSA International to existing partners that include Maersk.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3760238,00.html

New York event promotes 80 Israeli startups. 120 entrepreneurs from 80 Israeli startups attended Calcalist’s Mind the Tech conference at the New York center of Tel Aviv-headquartered innovation hub SOSA. They presented to industry leaders including Amazon, American Express, Comcast, Goldman Stanley, and TechStars.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3760662,00.html

Every company can get “the Amazon effect”. I reported previously (Jul 2017) on Israel’s Bringg when it began dispatching and tracking orders for US caterer Panera Bread. Bringg now helps Panera process over a million orders a month. It has just raised $25 million of funds to “level the playing field in the age of Amazon”.
http://nocamels.com/2019/04/amazon-effect-israeli-startup-bringg-level-playing-field/

Best Buy stocks Israeli diagnostic kits. US retail electronics chain Best Buy has partnered with Israel’s TycoCare. US customers on-line and at stores in 4 states can purchase TycoCare’s all-in-one digital diagnostics kit consisting of thermometer, stethoscope, otoscope, tongue depressor and remote consultation service.
https://www.israel21c.org/tytocare-home-diagnostics-device-now-sold-at-best-buy/

Walmart to sell Israeli-selected products for kids. Walmart has partnered with Israeli-founded Kidbox to sell customers $48 boxes of leading children’s fashion brands at 50% discount to their regular retail price. The Israeli-developed software assesses the child’s preferences and taste, the time of year, and the latest fashions.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3760891,00.html

Protecting Central American coasts. (TY Hazel) Israel’s ELTA Systems has won several contracts in the Caribbean (for Trinidad & Tobago and Barbados) to upgrade national coastal surveillance systems and provide radar systems to offshore oil rigs. ELTA also is to supply radar systems to Mexican offshore oil rigs.
https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/IAIs-ELTA-systems-to-upgrade-Caribbean-maritime-coastal-surveillance-systems-586501

Cash to leave your car at home. The Israeli Transportation Ministry is piloting a scheme, initially with 500 drivers, to try to reduce traffic congestion. Each driver can earn up to NIS 2,000 if he/she doesn’t drive during the rush hour. More money can be obtained by giving lifts to carpoolers and by using public transport.

https://www.israel21c.org/israel-tries-battling-traffic-jams-with-cash-handouts/

https://bit.ly/309eO3F

Defensible borders’ key feature, in the Middle East, must be the capability to confront the shifty, volcanic and violent reality of the region, which has been top heavy on worst-case scenarios, highlighting clear and present lethal threats.

Realistically, Israel’s defensible borders should not be based on well-meaning, peaceful coexistence (best-case) scenarios – cushioned by eloquent statements, agreements, assurances and guarantees – which have been detached from the blustery Middle East inter-Arab and inter-Muslim reality since the 7thcentury.

Defensible borders are not based on a state-of-peace; defensible borders, in the Middle East, should be able to overcome an abrupt military violation of a state-of-peace.The most critical feature/test of defensible borders in the Middle East is their capability to fend off realistic (worst-case) scenarios.

https://www.algemeiner.com/2019/05/09/the-first-thing-to-learn-from-the-700-rockets-fired-at-israel/

Terrorists from Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad fired approximately 700 rockets at Israel in a coordinated May offensive. Tragically, four Israelis were killed. But how is that possible? One would think that 700 terrorist rockets would have caused much heavier Israeli losses.

When Israel fires missiles at enemy targets, they strike with deadly, pinpoint accuracy. For example, they have been known to hit a single terrorist in a vehicle, or one apartment in the middle of a dense neighborhood. Yet when Hamas and Islamic Jihad fire rockets into Israel, the vast majority of them land in empty fields, parking lots, or other uninhabited sites.

The difference is not that Israeli soldiers have better aim. The difference is that the Israeli army has the latest equipment and the most sophisticated computer systems necessary to ensure that their missiles hit the desired targets. Meanwhile, the Palestinians are actually trying to cause as much damage and death as possible — but their rockets still don’t make accurate landings. Why? Because the Palestinians don’t have that technology. And the reason they don’t is partly because of the Israeli blockade of Gaza.

http://q4j-middle-east.com
Besides hundreds of Arab incendiary terror kites and balloons, rocket and mortar launchings, sniper attacks, and so forth Israel has previously been subjected to, the weekend of May 4th, 2019 saw about 700 rockets launched from Gaza against Israeli civilians causing death, injury, and destruction. Israel’s response, while probably materially costly to Hamas, was still far too predictable–certainly nothing to convince Hamas and Islamic Jihad to cease and desist http://www.mideasttruth.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=139. Allegedly important buildings, training facilities, and such were taken out.

What makes matters worse, is that an Israel, that can enter Iran and walk out with huge quantities of top secret information, can surely also catch wind of when Hamas & Co. are scheduled to strut their stuff for the locals and arrange a proper greeting for them as well https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2873608/Hamas-parades-2-000-armed-fighters-drones-vehicle-mounted-rockets-biggest-strength-end-summer-war-Israel.html.

This has been going on for far too long–which means that, for whatever reasons, it’s probably a deliberate decision on Israel’s part. Regardless, here’s some of my own thoughts about this untenable situation…

I heard a presentation years ago by one of those Israeli security experts that many are listening to these days.